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Donald Trump jnr has been accused of illegally shooting a rare species of duck while on a hunting trip in Italy.
The eldest son of Donald Trump, the US President, is said to have shot a ruddy shelduck, which is protected under Italian and EU law.
According to Italy’s national hunting law, which was passed in 1992, anyone found guilty of killing a protected species such as the ruddy shelduck would face a maximum fine of €1500 ($2756).
Donald Trump Jr went hunting south of Venice when on holiday in December. Photo / Field Ethos - The Global Hunt For Adventure
Italian MPs have called for Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Environment Minister, to investigate and one regional politician has lodged a criminal complaint.
Trump jnr was on a hunting trip in the lagoons and wetlands south of Venice while on holiday in December.
Video from the trip was uploaded to Field Ethos: The Global Hunt for Adventure, a hunting, shooting and outdoor pursuits website.
Standing in a shooting position next to a foggy lagoon and wearing a camouflage jacket, he says in the video that he and his fellow hunters shot “a lot of widgeon, teal”.
Pointing to a dead duck with cream and copper plumage, he says: “So this is a rather uncommon duck for the area … not even sure what it is in English. But an incredible shoot. Once they saw the decoys, they just came right in.”
The ruddy shelduck is a protected species in Italy. Photo / Getty Images
Andrea Zanoni, a regional politician in Veneto and a member of the Europa Verde (Green Europe) party, said he had filed a criminal complaint to Italy’s Carabinieri police.
“In one frame, Trump appears while describing the ducks that were shot, including a ruddy shelduck, which is very rare in Europe,” said Zanoni.
The species breeds in Asia but is found in a few isolated pockets of Europe and North Africa.
Zanoni said the hunt appeared to have taken place in Valle Pirimpie, part of the lagoons and marshes which extend south from Venice.
He said it was “an area that is protected by European regulations and is part of a site of the EU Natura 2000 Network, as a special area of conservation”.
Zanoni said that under Italian law, only Italian citizens or residents were allowed to hunt.
He said: “Like any foreigner, in Italy by law he should not have been hunting.
“Only Italian residents are allowed to hunt. You need a licence issued by the police and a hunting association membership card. The Veneto and Italy in general are not the property of the USA.”
The Greens and Left Alliance called for the Environment Minister to intervene.
Luana Zanella, an MP from Green Europe, said that “the killing of protected species is a crime”.
Monica Sambo, from the centre-left Democratic Party, said: “What has been reported is a very serious fact. It is unacceptable that protected species are killed in the Venice lagoon, an environment that should be safeguarded. If Trump Junior’s involvement is confirmed, we hope that he will be prosecuted like any other citizen.”
Pichetto Fratin, the Environment Minister, said he was awaiting an official report into the matter.
He said: “I’ve read the news but I know nothing about it, neither when it happened nor how it happened. I’m waiting for a report so that I have all the available information.”
On the Field Ethos website, Trump jnr describes himself and his friends as “relics – old-school adventurers who make no apologies for who we are. At first light, we’re masters of logistics; by sundown, we’re whiskey-fuelled philosophers by a campfire”.
The website describes itself as “the premier lifestyle publication for the unapologetic man”. It features accounts and videos of hunting trips around the world, from shooting wild buffalo in northern Australia to stalking elk in Montana.
While some Italian politicians called for the US President’s son to be prosecuted, others said they were happy that he had chosen to hunt in Italy.
“We’re proud that Donald Trump jnr decided to come to Veneto to have this unique experience,” said Joe Formaggio, a regional councillor from Brothers of Italy, the conservative party led by Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister.
He continued: “It is unacceptable that the Left mounts the usual witch hunt against those who legitimately won the US elections and who represent a model of leadership for millions of people around the world.”
Trump jnr is a keen trophy hunter. He caused controversy in 2012 when he was photographed holding a knife and the bloody, severed tail of an elephant that he had reportedly killed while on safari in Zimbabwe.
Other photos showed him and his brother Eric standing next to the bodies of a leopard, a kudu, a crocodile and a waterbuck – all of them shot on a hunting range near Victoria Falls.
Trump jnr did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
